Digital projectors often include micro-displays that include arrays of pixels. Each pixel may include a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device, an interference-based modulator, etc. A micro-display is used with a light source and projection lens of the digital projector, where the projection lens images and magnifies the micro-display. The micro-display receives light from the light source. When the pixels of the micro-display are ON, the pixels direct the light to the projection lens. When the pixels are OFF, they produce a “black” state.
Some interference-based modulators, such as Fabry-Perot modulators, include a total reflector and a partial reflector separated by a gap, such as an air-containing gap, that can be adjusted by moving the total and partial reflectors relative to each other. Interference-based modulators are typically “rail-to-rail” devices, meaning they have two stable positions ON and OFF, corresponding to different gap settings. To implement a color display using interference-based modulators and a multi-colored light source, such as a red, blue, and green light source, a separate interference-based modulator is commonly used for each color. However, this results in complicated optics, e.g., including several filters, reflectors, lenses, etc., and is not cost effective.